Masks optional by spring break

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone think we're going to have masks in 22-23 or will it become optional by then?

I feel like mcps's covid response has been about a year behind the curve of other school districts in terms of having a year virtual and now a year of masking

That's just crazy! MCPS has been a leader in their COVID response up until recently when McKnight caved to the rabid stay open at all costs crowd.

They were clear over the summer that they were keeping schools in person except if the state shut them down. Thats why many of us were in a panic come August when we hadn't heard from the Virtual Academy to make alternative plans for our kids. It was obvious this was going to happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Covid will be over by March 15thish.

I think that Omicron will be over by March 15thish. I think there will be another covid variant that replaces omicron unless the covid pills are widely available and effective against new variants.

It may be over sooner than that but I agree there will probably be another variation. I am not counting on any pills.

[Anonymous]

Why would anyone unmask before covid pills / treatments are available?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would anyone unmask before covid pills / treatments are available?

Just keep moving goalposts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would anyone unmask before covid pills / treatments are available?

Just keep moving goalposts

What is “moving goalposts” to some is “adapting to shifting conditions” to others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you only care about yourself and even that is questionable.

I care deeply about my kids who’ve suffered enough. Kindergartners shouldn’t have been masked in the first place in my (unpopular) opinion. But now that we have vaccines! Hospitalizations are low. Cases numbers are declining. Let’s do this! Other children can still mask if they want to.

+1 million

Masks optional. Any kid who wants to can wear one. No issues!

Let other kids choose what works for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do people assume that "masks optional" means "no masks?"

Don't you think there's some value in letting the people who are really uncomfortable make their own choices?

My kids will wear masks either way so long as community transmission rates are high.

No, because their mask wearing protects me.

Everyone wearing masks means vulnerable populations can continue to attend school without being singled out. Immunocompromised kids deserve to go to school. Masks are such a small thing. It’s silly to get so worked up about it.

I say this as a Covid-careful, complying with all the rules, putting-others-first good citizen: This HAS to be a balancing act. We need to let go of the absolutism here. Even without Covid, masks protect students who are immunocompromised and their families. So are we going to mandate masks during flu season?

Public health measures are about weighing costs and benefits. There has to be a moment when the costs outweigh the benefits. Even if we don't agree about precisely when that is, can we all accept that for every public health measure -- every rule, every law, for that matter -- there are costs, and there are benefits, and generally-speaking we do best as a shared society when we are sensitive to the point at which one outweighs the other.

So look. You don't have to agree with otherwise-reasonable people who don't like wearing masks and don't like their kids wearing them. But as a public health measure, they are not nearly as protective as vaccination.

And the research is clear and also not-so-clear. Unequivocally, community masking reduces the spread of Covid. But which masks, which variants, and how much? There are no randomized clinical trials in vaccinated populations. If we are talking about a 10% reduction of a huge number -- then that's one thing. 10% reduction of a small number? THat's another.

Again, for me personally, i don't mind masks (especially in winter!) But at this point you have to acknowledge that some people really do mind.

It has to be a balancing act.

Personally, once (if!) case rates fall way back down, I would rather we put our political capital towards vaccination and boosting, primarily.

I don't want to miss the forest for the trees, here. So I would prefer that others wear masks, all things considered -- but also, there comes a point when the benefit to the public health no longer outweighs the cost, and we're all served by being alert to the point at which that weight shifts in one direction or the other.

+1
Thank you for such a rational, thoughtful post.

There are harms to kids from wearing masks indefinitely in educational settings; those need to be taken into account, too. If wearing masks causes difficulties for at least some percentage of kids learning how to read, how to recognize emotions, etc., we need to include those in the cost-benefit analysis. It’s not a progressive stance to say that literacy and socioemotional learning don’t matter, despite many protests to the contrary.

Agreed to both these PPs

[Anonymous]

"A man has been charged with assault and battery after police say he lashed out at a school nurse, blew in her face without a mask on, and said, “Now you go quarantine.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-blew-school-nurse-face-115800876.html

This is why the children need to remain masked. The parents that think this is okay, will most certainly teach this to their children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"A man has been charged with assault and battery after police say he lashed out at a school nurse, blew in her face without a mask on, and said, “Now you go quarantine.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/man-blew-school-nurse-face-115800876.html

This is why the children need to remain masked. The parents that think this is okay, will most certainly teach this to their children.

This took place in South Carolina. What does that have to do with Montgomery county

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would anyone unmask before covid pills / treatments are available?

Just keep moving goalposts

What is “moving goalposts” to some is “adapting to shifting conditions” to others.

At what point do we decide that mass masking of children isn't necessary mitigation strategy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would anyone unmask before covid pills / treatments are available?

Just keep moving goalposts

What is “moving goalposts” to some is “adapting to shifting conditions” to others.

At what point do we decide that mass masking of children isn't necessary mitigation strategy?

Duh when it’s not a pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this is a reasonable goal given our vaccination rates, decline of omicron, success of mask optional schools in neighboring Virginia, announcement from the archdiocese of Arlington… there is so much data to support this too.

What do you think?

You're on every thread for every school district. Wacko.

I don’t care about other school districts. I live in MoCo. But seeing what’s happening in VA makes me excited. Let’s goooooo, MCPS! Normalcy for kids is long overdue!!

You do realize that nothing is happening in VA, right?

The Governor didn't have the authority to tell the schools no more masks. Most school districts are ignoring him and continuing to mask. This weekend he walked it back and announced that parents should follow their local school's/principal's orders. Why'd he do that? According to my SIL who teaches in a VA school is was because of two factors: 1-that nutso mom who threatened to bring all her loaded guns to her kid's school on Monday morning. 2-principals alerted Guidera that many teachers were ready to walk over the thought of having to deal with parents on monday morning.

Very bad optics all around for the whole no masking order.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you only care about yourself and even that is questionable.

I care deeply about my kids who’ve suffered enough. Kindergartners shouldn’t have been masked in the first place in my (unpopular) opinion. But now that we have vaccines! Hospitalizations are low. Cases numbers are declining. Let’s do this! Other children can still mask if they want to.

Completely agree with you OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think Covid will be over by March 15thish.

Trump, you were wrong. Get over it.

[Anonymous]

Alas, every one of the classes I'm a para in has 2 or 3 kids consistently not wearing masks in a meaningful way.